Illinois Paddling Council announces upcoming events

The Illinois Paddling Council (IPC) was organized in 1963 and is a not-for-profit association of paddlers and paddling organizations in Illinois.

The Illinois Paddling Council will host a series of upcoming canoe and kayak events, according to the organization’s newsletter.

The Des Plaines River Canoe and Kayak Marathon will be Sunday, May 18. Founded in 1958 by Ralph Frese, the race is the second-oldest continual canoe race in the United States. It spans 18.5 miles of the Des Plaines River and includes a 5.25-mile minithon and stand-up paddleboard class for men and women.

The 53rd running of the Mid-Am race will be Sunday, June 1, on the Fox River. Two race lengths, a 10-mile from St. Charles, Ill., and a 6-mile stretch from Batavia, Ill., will be offered. Both races finish at McCullough Park in Aurora, Ill. The event will conclude with a riverside lunch and awards ceremony.

Saturday, June 28, the Lincoln Heritage Water Trail 2014 Abe’s Marathon (Abe’s River Race) will be a single event for canoes and kayaks along the 19-mile lower stretch of the Sanagamon River as it flows from Sanagamon County past Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site in Petersburg, Ill.

The race will start in the morning and is expected to finish between 2 and 4 p.m.

The Pecatonica River Water Trail Canoe/Kayak Race will be Saturday, July 19. The upstream paddle starts at McConnell, Ill., and ends at Brewster’s Landing in Winslow, Ill. At the checkpoint at Brewster’s Landing, racers will turn around and paddle 6.7 miles back to the McConnell start/finish line. The race spans 13.4 miles.

All participants must sign a waiver. A parent or guardian must co-sign the waiver if the participant is younger than 18.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available.

More information is available at pecriver.org.

“Racers have been and continue to be the backbone upon which all of us rest,” said Tom Lindblade, of the Illinois Paddling Council. “So, this special racing issue is the perfect opportunity to say thank you to our ‘racer heads’ for all you have contributed to the Paddling Council, and to our sport.”

For information about these and other races, contact Kevin Bradley, competition chairman, at kaab610@aol.com.